Questions tagged [taxonomy]
Questions on the classification of biological organisms, and the methods used for classifying them.
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Repetition of "Clade" in a taxonomic tree
Animals and plants are somtimes classified (organized) into a taxonomic tree data structure. The term "tree data-structure" comes from the fields of computer science and software development....
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Explaining "paraphyly" for the layperson?
I was a molecular biology major a while ago, but I never think I really understood cladistics TBH. Now reading about paraphyly, it shows this:
In this phylogenetic tree [second image], the green ...
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Biological Key for Yard Weeds?
I'm tinkering with an idea for an app to identify yard weeds, just as a personal project. I've been looking for some sort of dichotomous key (ie, "Does it have fur?" "Does it have ...
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What are the W and DSM codes for the following bacteria referring to?
In this paper the following bacteria are listed:
Bifidobacterium bifidum W23 (DSM 26331)
Lactobacillus salivarius W24 (DSM 26403)
Lactobacillus acidophilus W37 (DSM 26412)
Lactobacillus casei W56 (...
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Taxonomy of viruses
There is a distinction drawn in the ICTV code between "valid names" and "accepted names".
Valid names are those that are published and comply with the rules outlined in the code, ...
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If Myxozoa is animal, so what is really animal?
I read about the new discovered creature call Myxozoa and it say that Myxozoa is animal because of it possess cnidocysts like other cnidarian. But why doesn't it is a converge evolution ?
Myxozoa ...
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What is the Rs 2 vein on a Calliphoridae fly?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliphoridae
This wikipedia page on Calliphoridae flies says this: "Members of Calliphoridae have branched Rs 2 veins, frontal sutures are present, and calypters ...
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Why and who: named some fish "bashers" (African electrofish taxon "stonebasher")
Folklore question for itinerant elephantfish/electrofish experts happening to see this:Is any stonebasher fish named for a behavior related to bashing...
something or some part of its anatomy against ...
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What are the differences and relationships between online plant taxonomy databases (POWO, WFO, WCSP, WCVP), and is one considered the most reliable?
Each of these databases has their own summary of their aims and process - but they rarely seem to mention each other in comparison. It's hard to figure out what differences or relationships exist ...
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Where to find all "authorities" for taxonomic names?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Author_citation_(botany)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Author_citation_(zoology)
I am using NCBI to get a fairly complete list of organisms and their taxonomic name. ...
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Examples of subvarieties and forms in botany or other biological nomenclature?
So I found a fairly complex Rhododendron subgenus to subsection classification list, and despite there being ...
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blackberry: what morphological features suggested the species epithet "bifrons"?
What morphological features suggested the epithet "bifrons" in Rubus bifrons? The scientific name of the familiar invading species "Himalayan Blackberry" (or "European ...
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Order of iNaturalist taxon levels
Purpose
I want to take a collection of iNaturalist observations and build a tree diagram of the taxonomic levels that occur in that sample.
Background
Most of us have seen diagrams like this
or like ...
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Animal specific names with non-alphabetic characters
I'm part of a research team that investigates and documents native bee species, and we identified one of our Andrena specimens as A. w-scripta. With over ten years of experience in insect and ray-...
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What are the apomorphies of Streptophyta that delineate them from Chlorophyta in Viridiplantae?
I'm reading through Plant Systematics, 3rd Edition by Michael G. Simpson, and am having a hard time understanding the differences between the Chlorophytes and Streptophytes - discussed in Chapter 3: ...
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Humans are Apes are Primates. But will they remain so?
Not a biologist here as you will propably be able to tell.
I understand that throughout the tree of life each species at the leaves at the same time also belongs to all the parent categories up the ...
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What organism is this? Repetitive, long thread, double spikes, ... (from a human sputum sample) [closed]
Link to video
Collected in Portugal.
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Identify grasshopper species
I found this grasshopper on a house door in central Italy. It did not move for the whole day. I can tell it's a grasshopper, however I am unable to determine the exact species.
Size: ca. 6cm
Feel free ...
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What morphological traits can be used to diagnose members of the Eucalypteae?
I read the Wikipedia article on Eucalypteae and it doesn't actually say what these plants have in common.
(I am now reading through https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.3732/ajb.1200025 ...
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RNA sequencing and taxonomic analysis of gut microbiome
I've been searching for methods of RNA sequencing, and I always find that the step of rRNA removal is emphasized. However, in my research, I need to analyze both functional and taxonomic data from the ...
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meaning of the name "Dictyostelium discoideum"
Dictyostelium discoideum is a well-known species of slime mould.
Does anyone know what the name means?
Here's my best guess.
I found the 1935 article in which it was first described, but there doesn't ...
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What do you call members of a same species that show some morphological differences depending on their environment and/or diet?
What do you call members of a same species that exhibit a number of morphological differences depending on their environment and/or diet?
I was thinking of the term "different phenotypes," ...
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Why is the author citation of Polypodium porosum (C. Presl) Mett.?
I would like to understand what constitutes a valid taxonomic description of a species in botany and by chance I encountered this example (which I otherwise know nothing about).
Either
Pyrrosia porosa ...
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Can DNA barcoding be employed to determine the order of an unidentified haematophagous parasite?
Given: a specimen of an unidentified, highly adapted, haematophagous parasite, perhaps a species nova, contaminated with mammal blood and tissue.
DNA barcoding is readily used to identify cryptic ...
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Can you identify this caterpillar?
Hi on my walk home in may i found this larvae crawling on a small road between grass and fields. All the yellowish larvae i know are looking totally differend than this. The origin of this picture is ...
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What is the current accepted taxonomy of the Citrus genus, and how do common cultivated fruits fit into it?
I want to learn about the taxonomy of Citrus, and how cultivated fruits fit into it. I know that the history of cultivated citrus fruits is full of hybridisation and that the taxonomic classifications ...
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Is the Orca a Whale?
I've read that "all dolphins are whales". I've also read that "the killer whale (orca) is a type of dolphin" and that "orcas are not whales, they're dolphins."
But if the ...
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References for historical momentum in asexual species definitions
For sexually reproducing organisms, the scope of a species is somewhat fixed by reproductive compatibility.
However, this all collapses for organisms that exclusively reproduce asexually.
Here, my ...
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Question about the use of Var. in different species
I just recently started studying Taxonomy and seem that I am the only one that got such question in the Internet...so pardon if this is a silly question...and my silly grammar because it is not my ...
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How can I learn botany/plant ID by myself?
I am interested in sources and methods regarding botany and plant ID, and being a self-taught person. Textbooks, sites etc.
Thank you all in advance!
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How to convert a genus name to a noun or adjective
Consider the crayfish family Cambaridae. As I understand it, this familial name can be turned into an English noun or adjective by changing the first letter to lower case and dropping the "ae.&...
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A word that includes plants and fungi, but not animals [closed]
Hello biologists and biology enthusiasts!
I am working on a project which includes information about plants and fungi. It would be very helpful for me if there a word that means plants-and-fungi, but ...
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Are animal cells animals themselves?
If all life can be divided into several kingdoms, and if the cells that make up organisms are the smallest units of life, does that mean that cells are part of those kingdoms as well? E.g. are animal ...
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Is amphibians being descended from fish reflected in the animalia taxonomy?
I think it is common knowledge that amphibians are descended from fish. At some point there was a transition from sea to land.
But when I try to confirm this through the Animalia taxonomy, the ...
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Is there a taxonomy of species with emergence and extinction dates?
I know the NCBI has a list of each species and their place in the evolutionary tree. But do they have the dates that these species existed? Does any such database (partial or complete) exist anywhere?
...
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What is the current state of research on the relationship between sponges, ctenophores, and other animals?
I've been reading about the basal taxonomy of animals recently, and it seems as though there is some controversy surrounding the classification of sponges, ctenophores (comb jellies), and all other ...
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confusion in types and kingdom system of classification
I am a high school student and I want to ask: is the 'kingdom system' of classification (two-kingdom, three-kingdom etc.) different from artificial or natural classification? I am asking this because ...
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What websites biologists use to check what new plant or animal species have been discovered in the world?
What are the databases or websites that biologists use to check what new plants or animals have been found in the world? The service should list the location of the discovery, time of discovery, image ...
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Are diplobacillus physically connected?
I know that a diplobacillus is a bacillus bacteria that has a buddy 'attached' to it.
What I haven't been able to determine is exactly how is it 'attached'? Are their cell membranes fused - are they ...
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What author citation and abbreviation does (would) a monarch or a crown prince get after publishing a new taxon name?
Even though taxonomic rules appear to be silent about this (I've checked ICN Art. 46 and ICZN Art. 51), author citations, as well as abbreviations, are usually based on a surname. However, monarchs ...
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Can 'human' become a genus due to space colonization?
I have read that during the Second World War, some mosquitoes got trapped in the London underground railway system. The mosquitoes never got out and eventually they became a new species by themselves.
...
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Examples of species whose extinct common ancestor is well documented?
If we follow the ascendence line of two closely related species we can build a
"Theoretical" common ancestor, whose characteristics were inherited with few differences by the offspring.
<...
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When a 'v' letter should be changed to 'w' in botanical nomenclature?
When should be 'v' changed to 'w' in botanical names? (especially ones derived from names originally written in cyrillics).
The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants says ...
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Eukaryotic DNA polymerase in Leading and Lagging Strand
Different books say a different specifications on which eukaryotic DNA polymerase work in leading strand and which DNA polymerase work in lagging strand.
TL,DR: Which one is reality? and if there ...
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What defines a single organism?
I suppose what prompts me to ask this question is my wondering if it is possible to have a multicellular prokaryotic organism. For instance, can a biofilm be considered a single organism? Why or why ...
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Help me identify Grasshopper
I found this Grasshopper in Goa/India. It was about 2cm long. I suspect it is from Cataloipus genus or Gomphocerinae subfamily. Am i correct or it also seems to be juvenile from some other species?
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What could the etymology of Phallodriline be?
I'm reading about a series of gutless worms described in several papers as phallodrilines. A search in the World Register of Marine Species shows that there is a subfamily called "Phallodrilinae", but ...
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How many kingdoms are there actually?
I am wanting to learn (memorise) some of the tree of life; the classification of organisms. So I have come across a lot of kingdoms in my research. Basically, I don’t want to waste my time learning ...
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Umbrella term for "parts of the brain"
I am looking for an umbrella term for general "parts of the brain", esp. for (somehow arbitrary) "subsets of neurons".
For the tree of life there is an umbrella term for all kinds of taxonomic groups ...
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Why are Excavata called "Excavata"?
The explanation given in my textbook is:
Some members of this diverse group also have an “excavated” feeding
groove on one side of the cell body. (Campbell Biology)
This still isn't clear, ...
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